Wall hanger

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed the use of a continuous strip of adhesive tape twisted on itself at a central region thereof as a hanger for supporting pictures, flat surface mounting structures and the like in conjunction with a picture hook, a protrusion from a wall or the like. The central portion is elongated to facilitate adjustment of the picture on the wall. This system has more mechanical stability than pure double-back adhesive hangers and does not have the disadvantage of adhesive strips with holes in them which preclude balancing the picture.

I nited States'Patent 1191 [111 3,7

; Tendler 1 Jan. 29,1974

1 1 WALL HANGER 2,606,730 8/1952 Bryn 248/497 [76] Inventor: Robert K. Tender, 2913 N St 3,298,655 1/1967 Palm 248/224 x N.W., Washington, DC. 20007 Primary Examiner-William H. Schultz [22] Filed: Mar. 16, 1972 211 Appl. No.: 235,174 7] ABSTRACT There is disclosed the use of a continuous strip of ad- 52 us. (:1. 248/467 248/475 R hesive tape twisted itself at a Central region thereof [51] 1m. 01. A47f 7/14 as a hang for Suppmting Pictures flat Surface [58] Fi ld of S 243 A 224, 475 R 467, mounting structures and the like in conjunction with a 243/359, 3 0 3 1 A, 497 40/125 A; picture hook, a protrusion from a wall or the like. The

- 7 24/1310 1 1 central portion is elongated to facilitate adjustment of the picture on the wall. This system has more mechan- [56] Referefices Cited ical stability than pure double-back adhesive hangers UNITED STATES PATENTS and does not have the disadvantage of adhesive strips 3 677 250 H1972 Th 24mm '11 with holes in them which preclude balancing the picomas 2,000,763 5/1935 Jane 40/125 A UX tulle- 2,02l,787 11/1935 Janowitz 24/DIG. 11 12 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures V TAPE, I5

' I7 ADHESIVE SIDE, 20 2| ADHESIVE SIDE 2O PM'ENTED 3. 788.588

sum 1 OF 2 ADHESIVE sIDE, 20 I ADHESIVE SIDE, 20

F 7g HOOK, l6 TAPE, 15

MOUNTING BOARD, ll

PATENTEDJANZQW 3.788.588

SHEET 2 OF 2 3O 32 so WT WI 1 WALL HANGER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a method and apparatus for hanging pictures and the like and more particularly to a hanger comprising a continuous strip of adhesive tape twisted on itself at a central region in which the tape is made to adhere to the structure which is to be mounted. The portion of this tape which is twisted on itself is made to lie in a region midway between the sides of the structure to be mounted on the wall and is engaged by a hook or a protrusion from the wall so as to permit hanging.

In the past there have been several methods of mounting pictures to walls involving adhesive members. Most recent of these involves the use of a double sticky back tape. Depending on the tape used, pictures or posters mounted in this manner eventually either become disengaged from the wall or stick to the wall in such a manner that removal is made extremely difficult without damaging the wall or the picture. It will be appreciated in these type of adhesive mounting structures, that accurate centering is required since adjustment after the posters are mounted is difficult. In addition, there is nojmechanical connection between the hanged structure andthe wall such as would be provided by a protrusion from the wall such as a picture hook or nail.

Another common adhesive type picture hanging structure is shown in US. Pat. No. 2,647,71 l issued to J. M. Margulis on Aug. 4, 1953. In this method an adhesive strip is attached to the structure to be mounted. The adhesive strip is provided with an eyelet through which a metal hook attached to a further adhesive strip protrudes. The metal eyelet provides structural strength against tearing of the tape when the hole in the tape is slipped over the hook. It will be appreciated that this type of mounting mechanism suffers from the same defect as the first mentioned mounting method in that the proper centering and balancing is required when the adhesive strip is' placed on the structure to be mounted. Thus no easy means of adjustment is provided once the strip is in place.

In contrast to these two methods of mounting structureson a wall, the subject system involves a continuous adhesive tape which is twisted on itself at a central region. This central region is elongated and is adapted to engage a hook or protrusion on the wall. The elongated portion serves muchthe same function as the traditional wire used in picture hanging, in that adjustment of the picture on the wall is accomplished by changing the fulcrum by sliding the hook along the elongated portion. In contrast to conventional wire techniques, no screws, nails or other protruding means need be attached to a picture to support a wire. Further, in the subject invention, structural strength is added to the tape by the twisting of the tape on itself so that no additional apparatus such as wire, string or the like is required. Additionally, the manufacture of such a hanging device .is extremely simple in that all that is necessary is to form tape with adhesive on one side and then to twist the adhesive tape on itself at a given region. It will be appreciated that there are no metal parts necessary to complicate the manufacturing process. Although initially itv might seem that tape used in this manner would come off of the structure to be mounted, it has been found that this particular method and apparatus holds heavy structures in place on a wall for considerable lengths of time. Although this particular mounting system was'adapted primarily for mounting picture board of a light weight nature to a wall, it has been found that due to the availability of strong tear resistant and extremely adherent tapes, structures of considerable weight may be mounted in this manner. Part of the explanation of the success of this mounting system is due to the combination of a mechanical and adhesive mounting system in which a hook is mechanically and fixedly attached to the wall while the mounting tape is adhesively mounted on the structure to be hanged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of this invention to provide apparatus for hanging a structure on a wall including a piece of continuous tape twisted on itself in a central region which tape is mounted on the structure to be supported, the central twisted region of the tape being adapted to engage a-hook or protrusion from the wall.

It is another object of this invention to provide the combination of a hook mechanically mounted on a wall and a continuous piece of adhesive tape adapted to be affixed to the structure to be mounted on the wall, which tape is twisted on itself in a central region.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a method for hanging a structure on a wall comprising the steps of taking a continuous piece of adhesive tape and twisting it on itself so to form a central region and adhering the tape to the structure to be supported on the wall.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a method for mounting a structure to a wall comprising the steps of twisting an adhesive tape on itself so as to form a central region, affixing the adhesive tape to the structure to be mounted, affixing a mechanical protrusion to the wall, and placing the central twisted portion of the tape over the protrusion.

Other objects of the invention will be better understood from the accompanying specification, drawings and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagramatic representation showing a picture hung on a wall showing the mounting apparatus in dotted outline;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the tape utilized as the mounting means, showing the tape twisted on itself so as to form a central region and showing the engagement of a hook with the central region, which hook may be moved in a lateral direction so as to permit balancing of the picture on the wall;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the structure to be mounted to a wall showing in side view the tape and the hook utilized in mounting the structure to the wall;

FIG. 4 shows an alternate embodiment of tape configuration in which a narrow central portion is formed and in which the transition from the narrow central portion to a wider portion is made in a continuous curve;

FIG. 5 is a further embodiment showing a tape configmration in which biaxial integral supporting strips are provided to add strength to the tape portion of the mounting apparatus; and

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the use of biaxially oriented separate pieces of tape which may be used to support the structure to be mounted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a picture 10 mounted on a mounting board 11 which is fixedly attached to a wall shown by the reference character 12. The adhesive tape mounting apparatus is shown in dotted outline by continuous tape 15. A hook is shown at 16 to be mechanically attached to the wall. The structure 11 is supported by the engagement of the hook with a central portion 17 of the continuous tape which central portion is a portion of the tape twisted on itself. As illustrated in FIG. 2, in one form the central portion is a helically wound generally cylindrical portion which may be made to adhere to itself for strength and resistance to shearing as described hereinafter. The term adhesive tape as used herein refers generally to pressure-sensitive tapes, water-activated tapes and heat-sensitive tapes. In addition, this term includes any tape which adheres to the structure to be supported.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the tape and hook combination is shown with like numbers denoting corresponding elements in FIG. 1. From FIG. 2, it will be appreciated that in one embodiment the tape has a single adhesive side shown by the reference character 20. This adhesive side is the same at either end of the central region 17 so as to adhere to the structure to be supported. As can be seen from the double ended arrow 21, the hook 16 can be moved laterally so as to provide the proper fulcrum for the hanging structure thereby facilitating easy alignment for balancing of a picture on a wall.

From FIG. 2 it will be seen that the force of the hook on the tape is shown by the arrow to be in an upward direction. This direction is biaxial to the length of the continuous tape. It will be appreciated that in many of the prior art handles for structures, tape is utilized in which the force on the handle is along the axis of the tape and not in a biaxial direction as shown in FIG. 2. For the purposes of this description, biaxial refers to a direction in the plane of the tape perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tape. Thus a force perpendicular to the plane ofthe paper on which FIG. 2 is drawn would be excluded from the term biaxial. The uniqueness of the subject approach lies in the fact that a biaxial force as hereinbefore defined does not cause the tape to rip or tear. Nor does the force result in a shear force of such of a magnitude so as to cause the tape to separate from the structure to be mounted. It will be therefore appreciated that a continuous tape twisted on itself in and of itself, without mechanical or metal braces is suffieient alone to be used in combination with a hook as shown in FIG. 2.

It will be apparent that the adhesive qualities of the tape as well as the width of the tape and the material of which the tape is made will materially determine the weight of the structure which can be mounted in this manner. It is however well within the state of the art to utilize tape to support structures of considerable weight. Examples of such tapes are shown in US. Pat. Nos. 2,647,7ll issued Aug. 4, 1953 and 3,294,355 issued Dec. 27, 1966.

In general, tapes suited for this application fall into three categories: pressure-sensitive, water-activated, and heat-sensitive. The pressure-sensitive tapes generally use rubber base or acrylic adhesives on backing materials such as acetate, cellophane, polyester, vinyl, cloth and paper. These tapes may be reinforced as in the case of acetate and polyester backing materials by using fiber reinforcing materials such as rayon or glass. The water activated tapes usually use paper or cloth backing materials in combination whth animal or vegetable glues including casein and starch. These tapes are wetted prior to applying the tape to the back of a picture. The heat sensitive tapes are made from the thermosetting type resins which need only heat to cure. Heat sensitive tapes are in general made from polyester, epoxy, or phenolic base materials in which the tape is ironed on to the picture. In the first type of tape mentioned, the pressure-sensitive adhesive aids to the strength of the central twisted region once the tape with the adhesive is twisted. In the latter two types of tape, the central twisted region may be made to adhere to itself prior to use, by applying either water or heat to the central region. This adds the strength of the adhesive to the inherent strength of the twisted tape. Under most loading conditions, this additional strengthening is not necessary. In any case, the tape backing and adhesive is chosen to be adequate for the load supported. Obviously, adhesives also include glues and epoxy resins which can be applied to the tape just prior to mounting. Further, any combination of the above tape backings and adhesives are within the scope of this invention.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the top view of the subject apparatus is shownin which the mounting board 11 is connected to the hook 16 by the tape 15 formed in the manner described. It will be appreciated that the mounting board can be balanced by moving the hook 16 along the central portion 17 of the tape 15.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that there are many types and widths of tape which will be suitable depending upon the weight and consistency of the structure to be mounted adjacent the wall. The system thus far described relies on both mechanical and adhesive properties used in combination so as to support the structures of relatively greatweight as compared to those supportable by hangers having solely adhesivebacked coacting members.

There are however other configurations of the tape which when twisted upon itself will provide for even greater mechanical stability of the mounting.

In one embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the tape 15 is made extremely wide except for a central portion 32 having a length denoted by the character L. This figure shows the tape prior to being twisted on itself so as to from the central region 17 of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. In this embodiment thereis a first width of tape denoted by the symbol W, which is the major portion of the tape to adhere to the structure to be mounted. The central region 32 is to be formed by the narrow portion of the tape 15 designated by character W It will be appreciated from this figure that the transition between the width W and the width W is continuous as shown by the continuous lines 30. The continuity of these lines prevents shear forces from tearing the tape once the picture is hung.

If additional support is required, the tape may be configured as shown in FIG. 5. In this case, the tape 15 is provided with two biaxial strips 35 at right angles to the tape prior to its being twisted on itself. Assuming the tape to be of a quality which does not easily tear,

the right angles between the tabs 35 and the tape body will not be a factor in the failure of a system utilizing this type of tape. Again it is the length L of the tape which is to be twisted on itself to provide the central region.

In one further embodiment once the tape is in place on the structure to be mounted on the wall, additional tape strips 40 may be placed over the tape in a position shown so as to provideincreased mechanical stability of the mounting system.

It will, however, be appreciated that the strips 40 need not be used in a large variety of cases where the structure to be mounted to the wall is relatively light. Such would be in the case in photographic mounting board or poster board as it is sometimes called. It is a relatively simple packaging matter to provide a package in which the far ends of the tape can be detached from the majority of the tape so as to provide for the cross pieces 40 as shown in FIG. 6.

There has therefore been provided an extremely easy and inexpensive method and apparatus for mounting structures to a wall or vertically extending structure. The major factors which permit such an easy mounting are the structural strength of the tape twisted on itself re tearing and also the uncommon resistance of the tape to pulling away when a biaxial force as described hereinbefore is applied to the tape. Further, the central twisted portion of the tape can be made to adhere to itself to provide for increased strength. There should also be considered the ease of centering and balancing provided by the method and apparatus described which is unlike adhesive systems in the prior art. It will be appreciated that tape twisted on itself could be dispensed from a roll in much the same way as cellophane or adhesive tape is dispensed, with a cutting portion of the dispenser serving to separate the individual pieces of tape necessary for eachmounting application.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be understood that various modi fications may be made which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A wall hanger comprising:

a strip of tape, twisted on itself in an elongated central region thereof to form a helically wound generally cylindrical central portion coaxial with the longitudinal axis of said tape; and, adhesive on portions of said tape on the same side thereof at opposite ends of said central region, said strip adhering to the back side of a structure to be hung, said elongated central portion not adhering to said structure whereby a mechanically stable hanger is formed which is engageable at different points along the length of its central portion by a protrusion from said wall to facilitate hanging of said structure and adjustment of said structure on said wall.

2. The wall hanger as recited in claim 1 wherein said tape includes biaxial portions on either side of said central portion, said biaxial portions being adhesive to the back side of said structure for additional support thereof.

3. The wall hanger as recited in claim 1 wherein said tape is wider outwardly of the portion central of said tape.

4. The wall hanger as recited in claim 3 wherein the transition from narrow to wide portions of said tape is continuous.

5. The wall hanger as recited in claim 1 and further including in combination therewith .separate biaxial adhesive strips positioned on either side of said central portion, said strips adhering to said tape and to portions of the back of said structure immediately adjacent said tape.

6. In a system for mounting a member on a vertically extending structure and for aligning said member with said structure, in which said vertically extending structure includes a protrusion therefrom,

a continuous tape twisted on itself in a central region and fixedly attached to said member on opposite sides of said central region, said tape being adhesive to said member, said central region adapted to engage said protrusion at a point along the length thereof so as to mount said member on said vertically extending structure, adjustment of said member being accomplished by changing the point along said central portion engaged by said protrusion.

7. Apparatus for mounting rigid wall hangings to a wall comprising in combination,

a member adapted to protrude from said wall, and

a piece of adhesive tape twisted on itself at a central portion thereof and affixed to the back of said wall hanging such that adhesive portions of said tape on either side of said central portion contact the back of said wall hanging, said tape running horizontally with said central portion adapted to engage said protruding member, a biaxial force being applied to said tape when said wall hanging is hung from said protruding member, said wall hanging being aligned with said wall by changing the point of engagement between said protruding member and said central portion, whereby a stable adhesivemechanical mounting system is provided with centering and balancing a function of the length of said central portion and the point of engagement between said central portion and said protruidng member.

8. The apparatus recited in claim 7 wherein said tape includes biaxial portions on either side of said central portion, said biaxial portions being adhesive to the back of said wal hanging for additional support thereof.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 7 wherein said tape is wider outwardly of the central portion of said tape.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 9 wherein the transition from narrow to wide portions of said tape is continuous.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 7 and further including in combination therewith separate biaxual adhesive strips positioned on either side of said central portion, said strips adhering to said tape and to portions of the back of said picture immediately adjacent said tape.

12. A method for hanging a structure on a wall comprising,

mechanically affixing a protrusion to said wall,

twisting adhesive tape on itself at a central portion thereof and affixing said tape to the back of said structure, said tape running horizontally on said structure and adhering to the back of said structure outwardly of said central portion, and

hanging said structure on said wall with the central portion of said tape engaging said protrusion. 

1. A wall hanger comprising: a strip of tape, twisted on itself in an elongated central region thereof to form a helically wound generally cylindrical central portion coaxial with the longitudinal axis of said tape; and, adhesive on portions of said tape on the same side thereof at opposite ends of said central region, said strip adhering to the back side of a structure to be hung, said elongated central portion not adhering to said structure whereby a mechanically stable hanger is formed which is engageable at different points along the length of its central portion by a protrusion from said wall to facilitate hanging of said structure and adjustment of said structure on said wall.
 2. The wall hanger as recited in claim 1 wherein said tape includes biaxial portions on either side of said central portion, said biaxial portions being adhesive to the back side of said structure for additional support thereof.
 3. The wall hanger as recited in claim 1 wherein said tape is wider outwardly of the portion central of said tape.
 4. The wall hanger as recited in claim 3 wherein the transition from narrow to wide portions of said tape is continuous.
 5. The wall hanger as recited in claim 1 and further including in combination therewith separate biaxial adhesive strips positioned on either side of said central portion, said strips adhering to said tape and to portions of the back of said structure immediately adjacent said tape.
 6. In a system for mounting a member on a vertically extending structure and for aligning said member with said structure, in which said vertically extending structure includes a protrusion therefrom, a continuous tape twisted on itself in a central region and fixedly attached to said member on opposite sides of said central region, said tape being adhesive to said member, said central region adapted to engage said protrusion at a point along the length thereof so as to mount said member on said vertically extending structure, adjustment of said member being accomplished by changing the point along said central portion engaged by said protrusion.
 7. Apparatus for mounting rigid wall hangings to a wall comprising in combination, a member adapted to protrude from said wall, and a piece of adhesive tape twisted on itself at a central portion thereof and affixed to the back of said wall hanging such that adhesive portions of said tape on either side of said central portion contact the back of said wall hanging, said tape running horizontally with said central portion adapted to engage said protruding member, a biaxial force being applied to said tape when said wall hanging is hung from said protruding member, said wall hanging being aligned with said wall by changing the point of engagement between said protruding member and said central portion, whereby a stable adhesive-mechanical mounting system is provided with centering and balancing a function of the length of said central portion and the point of engagement between said central portion and said protruidng member.
 8. The apparatus recited in claim 7 wherein said tape includes biaxial portions on either side of said central portiOn, said biaxial portions being adhesive to the back of said wal hanging for additional support thereof.
 9. The apparatus as recited in claim 7 wherein said tape is wider outwardly of the central portion of said tape.
 10. The apparatus as recited in claim 9 wherein the transition from narrow to wide portions of said tape is continuous.
 11. The apparatus as recited in claim 7 and further including in combination therewith separate biaxual adhesive strips positioned on either side of said central portion, said strips adhering to said tape and to portions of the back of said picture immediately adjacent said tape.
 12. A method for hanging a structure on a wall comprising, mechanically affixing a protrusion to said wall, twisting adhesive tape on itself at a central portion thereof and affixing said tape to the back of said structure, said tape running horizontally on said structure and adhering to the back of said structure outwardly of said central portion, and hanging said structure on said wall with the central portion of said tape engaging said protrusion. 